Meet Our Members
2026 Board
Epsilon Eta's board is elected each November and serves for one calendar year.
Catalina Mejia Beas she/her
Co-President
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✦ Major: Environmental Science
✦ Minor: Geography
✦ Junior
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"hellooo :p so excited to meet you! Some things I think you should know about me are that I was born in Sac and have grown up going to the Bay Area my whole life, I have 3 small dogs at home and love them very much, and I’ve recently taken up scrapbooking as a hobby and would love to hear some tips lol. I’ve been a member of Ep Eta since Sp’ 2023, and have loved every second of it! Have a chat with me if you want to talk about any questions you may have about the club or perhaps ponder some deep philosophical question about life, happy to do both :)"
Sophia Garcia she/her
Co-President​
✦ Major: Molecular Environmental Biology
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✦ Minor: Marine Science
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✦ Junior
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"Hi, I’m Sophia! I’m from New York and love running, hiking, exploring new cities, and being outdoors. In my free time, I volunteer with marine animals, cats, and dogs, and I work as a veterinary assistant. In the future, I hope to pursue a career in marine veterinary medicine."
Caroline Lim she/her
(Abroad)
Co-VP of Service
✦ Major: Conservation and Resource Studies
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✦ Junior
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"Hi I'm Caroline! I'm from San Mateo, CA and I study food systems/agroecology. I play club soccer for Cal, love farmers markets and a good snack, and you can often catch me at the piano, playing guitar, or hammocking outdoors. I’m currently studying abroad (Spring ‘26) in Copenhagen, but I can’t wait to return to my lovely Ep Eta family!"
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Maria Guenther-Iannotti she/her
Co-VP of Service​
✦ Major: Conservation and Resource Studies
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✦ Sophomore
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"Hi! I'm Maria and I'm from Los Angeles, CA. My absolute favorite things in life are the ocean, trying new foods/local restaurants (especially if it involves pasta, pupusas or ramen) and cats. I love to play sports, mostly soccer and basketball, and spend a lot of my free time thrifting, surfing, cooking, or swimming in any body of water. My dream job would be a coral reef or oyster reef restoration scientist and I love anything marine ecology and ocean restoration related. So excited for the next semester with Ep Eta !"
Jade Madsen
she/her
Co-VP of Internal Development & Social​
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✦Major: Public Health
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✦ Junior
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"Hey! I'm Jade, and I'm a third year from Alameda majoring in MEB and minoring in Public Health. In my free time, I love anything DIY (crocheting, making jewelry, blah blah blah), weightlifting, and being a Pinterest addict. I'm interested in environmental health, epidemiology, and fighting for planetary, animal, and human health through collaborative policies."
Joshua Duong-Hernandez
he/him
Co-VP of Outreach
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✦Majors: Society & Environment
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✦Minors: Public Policy
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✦ Sophomore
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"Hiii! I'm Joshua! I'm from San Diego, CA, and I love cats, music (especially concerts), dancing, and spending time outdoors. I especially love yapping about music and discovering new artists/bands. I'm also very passionate about politics and social justice. Fun Fact: I dance Ballet Folklorico and am the director for the Folklorico dance org here at Cal!
Sidney Nguyen
she/her
Co-VP of Outreach
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✦ Major: Environmental Science
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✦Minors: Global Public Health
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✦ Sophomore
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"Helloo! My name is Sidney, I'm from San Jose, CA #southbay and really enjoy spending my free time hiking, thrifting, cafe-hopping, junk journaling, Block Blast, blasting Dominic Fike, and learning new recipes :P I'm interested in environmental health, especially in exploring the impacts of climate change on human health/society. I loveeee meeting new people and am so excited to coffee chat you <3!"
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Siddhi Jain she/her
VP of Finance
✦ Major: Environmental Science
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✦ Sophomore
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"Hii!! My name is Siddhi, and I'm from Fremont, CA! I'm interested in everything climate policy, sustainable business, and plant-based food. Catch me rock climbing, cooking, crocheting or just enjoying the sunshine in my free time! I love to explore and am always down for a restaurant/cafe/outdoors sidequest! Count me in to watch the sunset, take a dip in the ocean, or picnic in Willard Park. I've always got a list of aspirational hobbies (learning how to the play the guitar, do a handstand, etc) and always appreciate friends to learn with :) Please reach out, I'd love love love to chat!!."
Affan he/him
VP of Academics & Professional Development​
✦ Major: Environmental Sciences
✦ Sophomore
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"Hi, I'm Affan, from Lahore, Pakistan. I'm into golf, love sports, and spend way too much time watching educational stuff like Kurzgesagt. If you ever need to know what dinosaurs actually looked like, I’ve got you. A fun fact about me is that I play multiple sports, so if you ever need an extra, I'm in."
Tajh Carter he/him
VP of Risk and Wellness
✦ Major: Chemistry
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✦ Minor: Environmental Engineering, Sustainability
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✦ Junior
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"Hey I'm Tajh and Im from the SFV! I love thrifting , trying new food spots, spontaneous adventures, video games, skateboarding, taking photos, biking, and late night walks. #1 artist is Faye Webster since 2019! My MBTI is ENTJ-T"
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Active Members
Kalyn Nishida
She/Her
✦ Major: Environmental Sciences
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✦ Minor: Energy and Resources
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✦ Senior
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"Hii! I’m Kalyn from Irvine, CA. I loveee alt-rock music and cats (I have two ragamuffins)! My hobbies include hiking, cooking, and taking care of my plants. After class you’ll either find me out at a band night, or cozy with a cup of tea and pjs on. I’m always up for a road trip, so my goal this year is to visit at least 5 national parks! I’m super excited to meet everyone, and feel free to coffee (or matcha) chat with me~ :D"
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Janelle Beduya
she/her
✦ Majors: Molecular Cell Biology and Integrative Biology
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✦ Senior
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"Hi, I’m Janelle! I’m from Los Angeles, California, and I like snorkeling, reading, and scrapbooking. I’m currently completing my senior research on cell proliferation and regeneration in jellyfish, working in a fungi lab on campus, and I was an Mo’orea Fall 2024 Student and did my project on marine invertebrates. Passionate about connecting nature to medicine/human health and also very passionate about touching grass. Ask me anything!"
Elissa Mei
she/her
✦ Majors: Environmental Economics and Politics & Sociology
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✦Senior
"Hi I’m Elissa! My hometown is Salinas, CA, and I’m very interested in environmental justice policy, the clean energy transition, urban planning, and building community solidarity. I love to go bird watching & hiking, photography, traditional Chinese medicine & tea practices, and journaling. Feel free to reach out about anything, so excited to meet you :)"
Nuala Giffen
she/her
✦ Majors: Conservation & Resource Studies and Psychology
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✦ Senior
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"hiii i’m nuala and im from la (burbank). some of my fav hobbies are reading, thrifting and playing soccer. i also just love being outside whether it’s hiking, going to the beach or camping i am always down!! i am really interested in animals and want to work with endangered species in the future. so excited to meet you all :)"
Gabriella Chao
she/her
✦ Major: Conservation and Resource Studies
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✦ Senior
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"hi i’m gabriella! i’m from the bay area and i’m interested in bridging climate justice and forest ecology to promote community driven conservation. i’m also passionate about social justice organizing and writing! outside of school, i’m usually hiking, painting, listening to music (boygenius, lorde, noah kahan) or trying vegan food around berkeley. i’m super excited to get to know our potential new members & talk about how much i love the ep eta community :)"
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Claire Thompson
she/her
✦ Major: Society and Environment
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✦ Minor: Global Poverty and Practice, Public Policy
✦ Junior
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"Hey everyone, I’m Claire :) This is my third year at Berkeley and third year in Ep ETA! I’m from Los Angeles, which has inspired a lot of my time, passions and interests up here in the bay. Im currently working with the labor center on the green economies and just transitions team, as well as with the suitcase clinic and the Berkeley needle exchange. You probably won’t find me around campus, I’m usually running around the city, hiking the hills or paddling around the bay, but feel free to reach out, I love to talk to future eppies!"
Marisa Gutierrez
she/her
✦ Majors: Environmental Economics and Policy, Conservation and Resource Studies
✦Senior
"Hi! I’m Marisa and I’m a senior majoring in EEP & CRS. I'm from South Bay and in my free time I love sidequesting and going out with my friends, doing SF daytrips, and going to the beach! I'd love to chat, so feel free to coffee chat me!!"
Taylor Ho
he/him
✦ Majors: Economics and Applied Math
✦ Minor: GIS
✦ Junior
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"Hellooo everyone! My name's Taylor and I'm from the Bay Area down in San Jose. If you’re ever in need of a super hidden top secret underground study spot then come hmu!! Outside of that, I’m usually trying to learn something on guitar or finding new recipes to meal prep. Schedule a chat and let’s talk about stuff!"
Adishree Kasliwal
she/her
✦ Majors: Environmental Economics & Policy, Society & Environment
✦ Junior
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"I’m an international student from Jaipur, India. I love exploring new places and trying new things. Food is my love language, so you’ll usually find me checking out restaurants or trying different cuisines. I love animals, you’ll always catch me petting the campus dogs or first in line at the petting zoo. Nature is my happy place, especially when I’m hiking with my fellow Ep Etas. I’ve been in Ep Eta since my Freshman year and am always down to connect and talk about all things Ep Eta!"
Payton Zolck
she/her
✦ Majors: Ecosystem Management and Forestry, Conservation and Resource Studies
✦ Senior
"Hi! I’m Payton and I’m originally from Redwood Shores, CA. I love meeting new people and am so excited to connect with all the prospective members. I love being outside and often can be found hiking, camping, swimming, looking for cool animals and plants, and skiing. I also enjoy singing, baking, cooking, and crocheting. I love animals and have a lovely cat and dog, named Pumpkin and Gryffin. I am an avid tea enjoyer so let me know if you have any tea place recommendations. A fun fact about me is I’m on an improv team here at Cal! (TBD Comedy)"
Carissa Loverme
she/her
✦ Major: Conservation and Resource Studies
✦ Minor: Environmental Engineering
✦ Junior
"Hii I’m Carissa, and I’m from SoCal (specifically OC)! I’m academically and professionally interested in sustainable water systems and resource recovery from wastewater. Some of my favorite activities include baking, playing tennis, crocheting, and watching kdramas. I’d love to chat about your favorite hidden spots in Berkeley, where to find the best boba/matcha, and your fav movies or TV shows. So excited to meet you :)"
Tara Chakravorty
(Abroad)
she/her
✦ Majors: Conservation and Resource Studies, Political Science
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✦Junior
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"Hi, I’m Tara (she/her) and I’m from the south Bay! I’m interested in environmental policy, specifically on an international level, and intersections between nature and media. I have backgrounds in video editing/film production and love to travel. In my free time I enjoy art/makeup, tea, cooking, and yoga."
Nina Hall
she/her
✦ Major: Environmental Science
✦ Minor: Energy and Resources
✦ Senior
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"Hi! I'm Nina and I'm from Santa Barbara, CA. When I have a free day, I love to go surfing in Santa Cruz or go skiing in Tahoe. Between classes I like to run, craft, or bake. I have also been doing ballet since I was 4. A fun fact about me is that I studied abroad in Costa Rica. After graduation, I plan on becoming a teacher and would like to teach environmental science. Feel free to reach out! :)
Maya Kuo
she/her
✦ Major: Conservation and Resource Studies
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✦ Senior
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"Hi everyone! My name is Maya and I'm from San Francisco, CA. I'm really interested in environmental biology, chemistry, and ecology and how those concepts can be used to create healthier ecosystems and communities. In my free time I love cooking, reading, playing bass, talking about vermicompost, and meeting Berkeley neighborhood cats. Super excited to meet all of you! :D"
Nikita Mehta
she/her
✦ Major: Conservation and Resource Studies (Marine Ecology)
✦ Minors: Data Science
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✦Senior
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"Hi everyone! I’m from sweet Santa Barbara where my love for the ocean originated. In my free time I love to bake, sing, go to the gym, do pilates, go on hikes, go to cafes (i loveeee matcha), and read. I love to be outdoors and spend as much time as possible in different bodies of water. I love meeting new people, so please reach out!!"
Ashley (Ash) Duran
she/her
✦ Major: Ecosystem Management
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✦ Senior
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"Hi, everyone! :) I’m Ash. I’m from Woodlake, CA, shoutout central valleyians!! I’m usually riding my bike, water coloring, dancing, or laughing with my housemates. At Berkeley, I’ve found my passion for working towards decolonizing forest and fire policy. I love EP ETA!"
Vignesh (Viggy) Manikandan
he/him
✦ Majors: Molecular Environmental Biology, Data Science
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✦ Senior
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Hello! I'm Viggy, I'm a senior and grew up in the Bay Area. I love hyperpop, role playing video games, stargazing, baking cookies and banana bread, and trying out food around campus. A fun fact about myself is that I studied abroad in Mo'orea last year!
Bree Heuer
she/her
✦ Major: Chemistry
✦ Junior
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Hi! I’m a third year chem major from the Seattle area. Besides ep eta, I’m passionate environmental policy and carbon removal. I'm abroad in the Netherlands for spring 2026, but I'm so excited to meet you in the fall! I’d love to talk about your best book/movie recommendations, fav meals in berkeley, and whatever artists you’ve been listening to lately!"